Gary Leff, Author at View from the Wing

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

25% Off Starwood Award Redemption for Platinums — AGAIN

by Gary Leff on May 24, 2005

May 24 2005

In the middle of the month, Starwood ran a promotion offering 25% off hotel night award redemption for platinum members. They apparently had some bumps in notifying members (though readers of this blog were well-informed). As a result, they’ve extended the offer. Via Starwood Lurker on Flyertalk:[T]hrough midnight Eastern US time on Monday, May 30th, Platinum members can make their plans online at spg.com and then call the Platinum Concierge line to make use of the FRED redemption code for a 25% off savings. The same Terms and Conditions apply that were in effect previously. This is for award stays booked through Wednesday, August 31st only.

A Repository of Information You’ll Find on This Site and Elsewhere

by Gary Leff on May 22, 2005

May 22 2005

QUICK PATHS TO STATUS American Airlines elite challenges, where you can earn status with only a little bit of flying. Delta Silver Status with a Single Flight Instant Hilton Gold status 2 United Red Carpet Club passes and Starwood Gold status for $10 ADVICE Myths and Reality Obtaining Airline Upgrades Upgrading at Hotels (by the way, here’s how to ask for the Presidential Suite). Whose Miles are the Most Valuable? Why you should spend all your miles now, and then earn more Dealing with Jetlag Best Mileage Earning Credit Cards How to find the best airfare deals How to find the best hotel deals Redeem your Priority Club points for the Presidential Suite at various Intercontinental hotels. HUMOR Tips for fighting terrorism You know you think about miles too much when… MILEAGE BONUSES 30 United…

Bonus Points for Hilton Stays

by Gary Leff on May 21, 2005

May 21 2005

Register by May 31 to earn 1000 bonus points on each of your next three Hilton stays between June 13 and September 30. You need to be a National Car Rental Emerald Club member, you can join with the $50 fee waived here.

I’m Such a Geek

by Gary Leff on May 20, 2005

May 20 2005

This actually sounds like a fascinating way to spend a few daysCard Forum is the largest event in the card industry, with nearly 1,000 card issuers, banks and service providers converging at the Omni Orlando Resort for three information-packed days of educational sessions and networking that focused on loyalty and multi-channel marketing, stored value/pre-paid, and credit and debit.

Is the Qantas Award Cupboard Bare?

by Gary Leff on May 20, 2005

May 20 2005

Back in November I reported that Qantas had gutted its frequent flyer award chart, with awards increasing in price as much as 92% (Sydney to New York-JFK in First class was going up to 392,000 points)! It should come as no surprise that Qantas frequent flyer members reacted to this news by booking as many international awards as they possibly could before the new point requirements went into effect, and as a result there are reports of very limited award availability — that most of the international awards on Qantas have simply been snatched up. It’s difficult to know the real numbers without a systematic award search, but the theory itself seems plausible.

$0 Fare from UK to US

by Gary Leff on May 20, 2005

Ripped from the FareAlert email list A great way to start the weekend… $0 base fare + taxes on American Airlines from London Gatwick and Manchester to Cleveland. Valid for travel from August 22-31, 2005. Bookable on Expedia and possibly other sites as well. Valid ONLY from the UK to the USA, not the other way around. Please see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=434800 for more information.

America West and USAirways to Merge

by Gary Leff on May 19, 2005

May 19 2005

The press release is here. As expected, USAirways is essentially being acquired by America West, though the airline will operate with the USAirways name. Significant cash will be added to the merged airline through the deal, including $75 million from Air Canada. This participation suggests to me that the combined airline will be a member of the Star Alliance. Of particular interest to me, $300 million in a signing bonus and a loan from prospective affinity credit card providers for the merged company. Negotiations with credit card companies are still in progress. Bank of America currently issues the affinity cards for USAirways and America West both. Now, this is the part of the press release that I simply don’t believe: The $600 million in anticipated annual synergies are the result of route restructuring, revenue synergies…

XBox 360: the Next Free Electronics Offer

by Gary Leff on May 19, 2005

May 19 2005

Gratis Internet, the people who brought you the free iPod and free digital camera, have a new promotion for a free X-box 360. These folks are seriously quick — it was only unveiled a week ago. This thing has wireless controllers, HD gaming, iPod compatibility and online features out of the box. Now, it won’t ship for several months, but I’m hoping to be one of the first ones to get it through the Gratis free offer. After all, I’ve already finished all their other offers.

What would a USAirways-America West Merger Mean for the Two Frequent Flyer Programs

by Gary Leff on May 19, 2005

May 19 2005

Randy Petersen has a new post up on his blog, imagining what an America West-USAirways tie-up would mean for integration of the two airlines’ frequent flyer programs. He believes a merger or acquisition would be on the whole good for members miles would be far safer integration would happen over a couple of years with reciprocal space available upgrades for elites introduced quickly new redemption options would be introduced partners would be streamlined so some current relationships would disappear

Expedia Package Discount

by Gary Leff on May 19, 2005

Expedia is offering $100 off an American Airlines flight when you purchase a hotel together with it using coupon code SAVE100. Book by May 25 for travel through the end of the year.

	Bilt Mastercard® Earn Points Paying Rent (up to 100,000 each year) plus earn 3x at restaurants; 2x on travel; as long as you make at least 5 purchases per month. No annual fee.
	Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months (See rates and fees)
	Citi® / AAdvantage Business^TM World Elite Mastercard® For a limited time, earn 75,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 5 months of account opening. AAdvantage miles are the currency I've redeemed most.[See rates and fees]

About Gary Leff

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About Gary Leff